From Greek 'katalysis' (dissolution) — Berzelius coined 'catalysis' in 1836 for substances speeding reactions unchanged.
A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed; figuratively, a person or thing that precipitates change.
From 'catalysis' (coined 1836 by Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius), from Greek 'κατάλυσις' (katalysis, 'dissolution, destruction'), from 'καταλύειν' (katalyein, 'to dissolve, to destroy, to undo'), from 'κατά' (kata, 'down') and 'λύειν' (lyein, 'to loosen, to untie, to dissolve'). Berzelius chose the term because a catalyst 'loosens' the bonds that prevent a reaction from proceeding. The agent noun 'catalyst' was formed
The catalytic converter in cars is named for the same Greek root. Inside it, platinum and palladium act as catalysts, converting toxic exhaust gases into less harmful ones. The three-way catalytic converter, introduced in 1975, is estimated to have prevented billions of tonnes of pollution — making 'katalysis' (dissolution) one of the most consequential Greek words